1. Field of the Invention
The invention is a new and distinct cultivar of Salix purpurea known by the varietal name ‘Fish Creek’. The new variety was produced through controlled willow breeding conducted by the inventors at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, N.Y. The objective of the breeding program is to produce new willow cultivars that generate high biomass yields on a variety of sites, are resistant to diseases and pests, and possess agronomic traits suitable for mechanical planting, harvesting, and post-harvest processing to provide a sustainable, renewable source of energy. Once a field planting of shrub willows is established, the woody stems can be harvested every three years, and new shoots will re-sprout the following season. Repeated harvesting every two to four years can be sustained for at least 15 years.
2. Description of Relevant Prior Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CRF 1.97-1.99
This new variety of Salix purpurea was the seedling progeny of the controlled pollination of a female clone (ID# 94006) of Salix purpurea by a male clone of Salix purpurea (ID# 94001) performed in February 1998 in Syracuse, N.Y. The plant has been propagated repeatedly by stem cuttings and has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations and field trials. More specifically, the plant has been asexually reproduced by collecting dormant stems during the winter months from a plant growing in Syracuse, N.Y.; cutting them into either 5″ or 10″ pieces (cuttings); then planting those cuttings in the field in Tully, N.Y. in the spring or in potting mix in the greenhouse, then transplanting the rooted cuttings to the field in Tully, N.Y.
Both parents (94006 and 94001) were originally identified in 1994 growing on the shores of creeks in Oneida County, N.Y. and were vegetatively propagated from stem cuttings. The new variety is distinguished from the female parent in that it is male. The growth of the parent plants was characterized in nursery plantings. Both parents displayed rapid stem growth and low incidence of rust disease, so were chosen to serve as parents in a cross. The seedlings produced by this cross (identification #9882) were first established in a greenhouse, and then were transplanted to a field. This particular individual (identification #9882-34) shown in the Figures was selected from the family due to its exceptional stem height growth.
The new cultivar has been grown in Syracuse, N.Y. and Tully, N.Y., which have a normal yearly average daily temperature of 47° F., normal daily maximum temperature in July of 82° F., normally daily minimum temperature in January of 14° F., and average precipitation of 40 inches. The new cultivar grows from a rooted cutting to a fully mature plant ready for harvest in approximately three years.